Man shot by Arundel officer dies

Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

A man who was shot in the upper torso by an Anne Arundel County police officer Friday after struggling with the officer at a home in the 800 block of Forest Valley Lane in Gambrills has died, Arundel police said.

The struggle occurred about 5:50 p.m. at the rear of the home after the officer, who has more than four years on the county police force, responded to calls of a domestic dispute there, said Lt. Glenn Shanahan, a police spokesman.

The man was shot by the officer at least once in the upper torso and was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, Shanahan said.

The man, Gary Petrie, later died at the hospital, police said.

A woman involved in the initial domestic dispute was injured, not by police, and was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, according to a police statement.

The officer involved had arrived at the home alone after police received multiple calls from neighbors who were concerned for the woman, Shanahan said.

"The woman apparently got outside of the home and was yelling, 'Help me! Help me! I'm bleeding!' to neighbors," Shanahan said.

Callers told police the woman was then "forcibly dragged back into the home," Shanahan said.

Shanahan said he did not yet know why the officer was at the rear of the home at the time of the struggle, or how the struggle began. The officer feared for his life at the time of the shooting, police said.

Other officers didn't reach the scene until after the shooting occurred, Shanahan said.

The officer involved in the struggle and shooting was being interviewed by county crime investigators, Shanahan said.

The department has identified the officer only as a member of the western district force.

An evidence collection unit and detectives were at the scene, he said.